It’s tough when you have to compete against Nolan Ryan. (Via @StopTheWave)
Nothing is more infuriating than wasting a great pitching outing, and that’s just what the Rangers did tonight. Yu Darvish was pretty great tonight, going 7 innings and striking out 11, matching his career high. Unfortunately, Darvish gave up 3 runs over those 7 innings and the offense could only muster up a single run.
What’s even more frustrating is that we had TWO runners get picked off by tonight’s starter Blackley, one of which (Torrealba in the 3rd) probably would have resulted in a run, just one of MANY missed opportunities by the Rangers (who were 1-7 with runners in scoring position) in tonight’s game.
FINAL: Rangers 1, Athletics 3
Game Notes:
- Earlier Sunday, the All Star Teams were announced. The Rangers had 7 players named to the team (3 starters): Mike Napoli (starter), Adrian Beltre (starter), Josh Hamilton (starter), Joe Nathan, Matt Harrison, Elvis Andrus, and Ian Kinsler. Rangers fans still have a chance to vote Yu Darvish in on the Final Vote, which ends July 5th.
- Prior to tonight’s game, Yu Darvish was 4th in AL in strikeouts.
- Napoli is only the 2nd catcher (the other was Pudge) in Rangers history to start an All Star Game.
- Craig Gentry had the 2nd highest batting average for the month of June (.455) in Rangers history.
- In the 6th, Craig Gentry ground rule double to lead off the inning (hit off Cespedes’ foot to go over the wall…probably would have been an inside the park home run…)
- David Murphy pinch hit for Gentry in the 8th. Can someone explain to me why Wash continually takes out his hottest hitter late in the game?
- This was Darvish’s 3rd straight 10+ strike out games at home.
- Nolan Ryan won the Texas Legends/Dot Race tonight and will go on to compete against the Nationals’ George Washington and a sausage from Milwaukee at the All Star Game.
